Pressure-relieving joint for building construction



Sept. 1, 1925.

. J. P. COWING PRESSURE RELIEVING JOINT F OR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 11. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 1, '1 925. 1,552,392

J. P. COWING PRESSURE RELIEVING JOINT FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 11, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES.-

' ATsur oFFIcE.

JOHN P. GOWING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T6 FRANCIS OSHAUGHNESSY, TRUSTEE,

PRESSURE-RELIEVING JOINT FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed-May 11, 1921. Serial No. 468,?16.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JOHN P. CowING, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, has invented an Improvement in Pressure-Relieving Joints for Building Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to building construction, and more particularly to an organization of building units such as tiles, blocks, or the like which are subject to compression stresses tending to crush or fracture the individual units.

Among other objects the invention is intended to supply an organization of structural parts having provision for avoiding the effects of excessive compression stresses,

- by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section of a fragment of building wall organized to embody this invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the fragment of wall shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the section shown in Fig. 1.

T he illustrative structure comprises a main wall 5 of concrete or other material and an outer shell or facing 6 made up of blocks such as terra cotta tile. According to aconventional practice, tie-bolts 7, 8 and 9 are anchored in the main wall 5 at vertical intervals, to tie in angle irons 10, 11 and 12 each presenting a horizontal ledge which supports, more or less, a superposed tier of tiles. For instance, in Fig. 1 a tier of tiles 13, 14 and 15 is shown superposed upon the horizontal ledge of the angle iron 10; and a tier of tiles 16, 17 and 18 upon the angle of another tier of tiles resting upon the angle iron 12.

Mortar 20, 21 may be employed Where desired. A usual practice, has been. to apply mortar around the horizontal ledge of each angle iron and between the adjacent upper and lower tiles, and also between each tile and that superposed upon it. It has been a common practice to employ for this purpose a mortar which sets to a hardness and compression strengthapproximating or even exceeding, the hardness and compression strength of the tiles or other blocks themselves, so that the structure was to such an extent rigid in a vertical direction that the occurence of excessive compression stresses was likely to rupture or deface the tile; So far as the present inventor is informed, no means has been provided, prior to this invention, for relieving the tiles from excessive crushing stresses in substantially vertical directions.

Terra cotta tiles for a facing are here referred to, for illustration, because they typify a structure in which a certain degree of lightness is highly desirable for obvious reasons, and the design of tiles to procure that lightness so reduces the strength of the tile that it presents a relatively fragile and tageous in such a connection, e. g. when it is desired to relieve such relatively fragile units from the effects of excessive compression stresses.

In the specific embodiment shown in the drawings, the vertical series of'blocks 13 to 19 inclusive is provided at intervals with so-called pressure-relieving joints, such that excessive pressures arising in the structure, in directlons transverse to the joints, will have the effect of contracting one or more of the joints. The contracting of the pressure-relieving joints, in an appropriately organized structure, absorbs the compression stresses to an extent sufficient to reduce the danger of fracturing the structural units.

In the particular structure of the drawings the wall is divided into zones, the lowermostthe tiles 13, 14 and 15resting upon the angle iron 10; the next-the tiles 16,

' iron 11. A tile 19 illustrates the beginning I I vi-de an upper layer 25, an intermediate layer 26 and a lower layer 27. Incorporated among these layers are elements such as bars or wires or spheres 28, 29, preferably staggered from each other in some such manner as that indicated in Fig. 3 so as to assist in holding the upper layer 25 in a spaced relation to the lower layer 27, but to permit those two layers to be compressed towards each other under sufficient pressure. As shown in Fig. 3, the intermediate layer 26 is undulated or corrugated and forms, in effect, .a compressible cushion between the two outer layers. The described details of construction, organizationand materials of the compressible filler 22 are not essential; but the objects in view are well served when the filler is made of a ductile metal, such' as lead, the layers of which are themselves compressible and which are also so associated that the filler as a whole can be compressed without necessarily requiring 1n-- herent compression of the layers. When such an arrangement is employed it is desirable to include graphite or some other lubricant 30, between the layers so that any spreading and creeping of the layers will be facilitated in the interior of the filler while the outer faces of the filler may maintain their stationary contact with the ad- 3 j acent' parts of the tile or mortar. For example, when the illustrative filler 22 of Fig. 3 is compressed by downward pressure from the tile 13, the squeezing effect of this pressure may tend to iron out the filler as a whole and increase the width (horizontall of the filler. This increase in width, y reason of the graphite lubricant, or its substitute arrangement, will occur largely by reason of the squeezing out of the intermediate layer 26, while the contact between the outer layers 25 and 27 and the adjacent parts of the structure, will be little if any disturbed. If the construction of the filler, for instance, under a maximum compression and squeezing, be such thatcthe excessive pressure causes the metal layers themselves to flow, then the occurrence of the lubricant on the inner surfaces will facilitate the flowing of the metal in that vicinity" while the outer faces will 'be held by the superior friction of their contact with the other parts of the structure.

The compressible filler 22 may be inserted in any suitable manner and at any appropriate point in the structure. As illustrated, the filler 22 rests upon the horizontal ledge of the angle iron 10 and is supported in part by a mortar bed 31. Above the tiller is a mortar bed 32 upon which rests the tile 13. This arrangement of mortar is non-essential.

The filler 22 may be readily designed by one skilled in the art, so that it will be compressed by a pressure which is less (by a reasonable margin of safety) than a pressure sufiicient to threaten fracture of the tiles or other building units. In other Words, the compressible filler will give so to speak, before the pressure becomes great enough to break the tiles.

Returning to Fig. 1, the occurrence of the pressure-relieving joints supplied by the illustrative compressible fillers, serves,to divide the series of tiles into the three zones referred to; and the occurrence of excessive compression stresses in directions transverse to the joints, whether they occur by reason of expansive tendencies within a zone (as by heat expansion at high temperature) or by reason of flexing of the wall (as in the vibration of a tower) or by reason of transmission of stresses from one zone to another, or for other causes,will be withstood by the compressible fillers until the pressure approaches a degree threatening fracture.

of the tiles whereupon the fillers will be compressed to relieve the pressure.

In the articular arrangement herein described, t e illustrative form of compressible filler may be designed to sustain, without contracting, such dead weight as it .is called upon to carry, but nevertheless to compress under a predetermined degree of pressure.

The compressible fillers may be of any desired dimensions, within the selection of thoseskilled in the art, to suit the particular problems encountered; and they may be inserted between tiles in layers of any desired length. For example, in Fig. 2, the fillers are indicated as formed in sections, buttjointed at their ends and if desired slightly spaced apart. The butt-joints are indicated at 33 in Fig. 2.

Ill

It is to be understood that this invention I is not limited to the particular details of 4 construction, organization and mode of operation described because. such details must necessarily be varied appropriately to the different problems of construction encountered 1n actual operations and to the difl'erent materials with which the subjectmatter of the invention is desired to be conjoined.

claim:

' 1. A wall construction comprising a tier of structural units divided into zones; sup- Having thus described my invention, I

porting means for a zone; and a compress- 1ble filler lnterposed between said zone and its supporting means and sustaining the 3. A wall construction comprising a tier of structural units erected in superimposed zones; shelf or ledge supports for the respective zones; and pressure-relieving joints in the respective zones.

4. A wall construction comprising a tier of structural units having a pressure-re-v lieving joint disposed substantially horizontally and comprising a compressible filler constructed and arranged to sustain a desired dead weight without substantial com-= pression but to be contracted by excess pres sure.

5. A compressible filler for use as a pres sure-relieving joint in a wall structure comprising upper and lower metal layers and an intervening undulating metal layer, and spacing devices arranged in staggered re lation at alternate sides of said intermediate layer between the same and the outer layers.

6. A compressible filler for use as a pressure-relieving joint in a wall'structure comprising a sheet of metal bent upon itself to provide an upper layer, an intermediate layer and a lowerlayer and incorporating spacing means between said layers.

7. A compressible filler for use asva pressure-relieving joint ina wall structure, comprising a sheet of metal folded to form upper and lower la ers, and interposed spacing means inclu ing an undulating metal layer.

8. A compressible filler for use as a pressure relieving joint in a wall structure, comprising upper and lower metal layers and intervening metallic means constructed to contract under excessive pressure, there being a lubricant between said layers and intervening means to facilitate spreading or creeping of said intervening means relative to said upper and lower layers.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

Jenn r. GOWING. 

